Leprosy is a chronic
disease caused by
bacteria and has
been known to exist
since 4000 B.C. It
can take years to
progress and causes
much damage on the
human body during
that time.Only in the
20th
century has a cure
been discovered by
injecting a
combination of three
drugs. However,
prior damage cannot
be reversed.

In the days that God
walked the earth as
Jesus Christ, the
only begotten Son of
God, many came to
Him to be cured. I
am reminded of one
instance in
particular in the
following verses:

“12And
it came to pass,
when he was in a
certain city, behold
a man full of
leprosy: who seeing
Jesus fell on his
face, and besought
him, saying, Lord,
if thou wilt, thou
canst make me clean.

13And
he put forth his
hand, and touched
him, saying, I will:
be thou clean. And
immediately the
leprosy departed
from him.

14And
he charged him to
tell no man: but go,
and shew thyself to
the priest, and
offer for thy
cleansing, according
as Moses commanded,
for a testimony unto
them.

15But
so much the more
went there a fame
abroad of him: and
great multitudes
came together to
hear, and to be
healed by him of
their infirmities.”
(Luke 5:12-15)

Trying to comprehend
what this man
suffered is shocking
and most depressing.
Without my going in
to the particulars
of the effects of
leprosy, please take
time to do an
Internet search and
read for yourselves.
Sadly, some will
already know first
hand.

I try to put myself
in this man’s shoes,
but that is
impossible. Let us
attempt however to
understand the
hopelessness this
man experienced.

Leprosy was a
terrifying disease.
There was no hope.
One’s features were
horribly disfigured.
Pain and then no
feeling at all was a
given. Individuals
who had leprosy were
outcasts from their
communities, and
separated from their
families. The people
of their day accused
them of having sin
in their lives and
the natural result
was the curse of
leprosy upon them.

The Bible does not
say how long this
man had leprosy, but
it does give us a
strong hint. Leprosy
can take from a
short time to 40
years in its work to
destroy the body.
The Scripture above
says that he was “a
man full of
leprosy.” This would
indicate that he had
been in this
condition for many
years.

It was unlawful for
one with leprosy to
approach anyone.
They were required
to stay at a
distance and
announce that they
had leprosy,
proclaiming loudly,
“unclean, unclean.”To actually
approach anyone was
unthinkable. Yet, he
approached Jesus and
fell on his face
before Him in
desperation.
Undoubtedly, he had
heard of Jesus and
the miracles that He
had performed. He
probably had heard
of others being
cured by Jesus of
this monstrous
disease. So he came
to Him.

He said to Jesus,
“Lord if you will,
you can cleanse me.”
He didn’t say, “Are
you able?” nor “Do
you think you can?”
He knew He could.
That is faith. That
man had accepted
Jesus as God and his
Savior. Jesus
responded by simply
saying, “I will, be
clean.” The man was
completely cured at
that instant.
Remember, that I
said earlier that
leprosy can be cured
today, but the
damage to the body
cannot be reversed.
For this man, “the
leprosy departed
from him.” He was
cured and his body
returned to normal.

Something else
stands out in this
incident. Now to
actually touch
someone with leprosy
was insane. No one
in his right mind
would ever get near
someone with
leprosy, let alone,
actually touch them.
Jesus “put forth His
hand and touched
him.” Herein lies an
emotional battle
this man had
suffered for many
years.

Can you imagine week
after week, month
after month, year
after year never
being touched by
another human? This
man had gone for
many years and not
experienced the
touch of another
person. Maybe he was
married. Maybe he
also had children.
Certainly, he had
parents and
siblings, cousins
and other relatives,
even friends. None
of them were able to
touch him once it
was discovered he
had leprosy. For
their sake, I’m sure
he would not have
allowed them to do
so anyway. So he
suffered alone. His
days were spent
alone for many
years. The nights
dragged on for
countless years.
Then the hand of God
reached forth and
touched him. After
all those years,
perhaps 40, he felt
the touch of another
person upon his
body. The first to
do so after that
horrendous
announcement of
leprosy upon him was
the Son of God,
Jesus the Christ
(Messiah).

Think for
yourselves, how long
could you go and not
feel the loving
caress of your
spouse. The brush of
their hair against
your cheek and the
smell of their
person would be no
more.

How long could you
go and not feel the
little arms of your
children around your
neck? To hold them
in your lap or carry
them on your back
would be forbidden.

How long could you
go and not feel the
kiss on the cheek of
your Mother or a
manly hug from your
Dad?

The man Jesus cured
of leprosy must have
been ecstatic with
joy. The disease of
leprosy was horrible
beyond words, but
was not the
loneliness of equal
misery? Jesus cured
not only this poor
man’s body, but also
reached down in his
soul and restored
the joy of human
companionship he had
been without for
years. Not only
that, the man knew
that the eternal God
stood before him and
touched him. He knew
that he was also
part of a new
family, a spiritual
family, given him by
the grace of God.

That was the
introduction. Now,
what about leprosy
of the soul? Many
have allowed their
souls to suffer the
same effects of
leprosy. Souls have
become hardened,
eaten upon by sin
and pieces have
fallen away. A soul
that was once
convicted of a need
for God has now
become crusted over
with callousness.
Pleasures of the
world have been
introduced to the
soul in the attempt
to dispel the
loneliness that has
set in.

The individual feels
something is wrong,
but what? Marriages
are affected
resulting in whole
families suffering.
Friendships are
destroyed. There is
a restlessness that
cannot be satisfied.
The mind is not at
rest. One seems to
be living the good
life, but happiness
only comes in short
spurts. Nothing is
lasting.

Leprosy of the body
is not a curse
caused from sin as
once believed, but
sin will result in
leprosy of the soul.
God can and will
cleanse one of this
leprosy of the soul
just as easily as He
cleansed the man
with leprosy of the
body. However, there
is a dangerous point
one can reach with
leprosy of the soul.

“28And
even as they did not
like to retain God
in their knowledge,
God gave them over
to a reprobate mind,
to do those things
which are not
convenient;

32Who
knowing the judgment
of God, that they
which commit such
things are worthy of
death, not only do
the same, but have
pleasure in them
that do them.”
(Romans 1:28-32)

Why did, “God
gave them over to a
reprobate mind?”
Because they
had allowed
spiritual leprosy to
eat away at their
soul until their
consciences were
seared.

“Speaking
lies in hypocrisy;
having their
conscience seared
with a hot iron;”
(1 Timothy 4:2)

If we have any
twinge of guilt
before God and want
to be healed of
leprosy of the soul,
He will heal you if
you ask in faith.

“Come
now, and let us
reason together,
saith the LORD:
though your sins be
as scarlet, they
shall be as white as
snow; though they be
red like crimson,
they shall be as
wool.” (Isaiah
1:18)

Our putrid condition
may not be seen by
others, but it
cannot be hidden
from God. Even our
best doesn’t measure
up. We are unclean
before Him, but by
His grace we can be
cleansed and made
new.

“But
we are all as an
unclean thing, and
all our
righteousnesses are
as filthy rags; and
we all do fade as a
leaf; and our
iniquities, like the
wind, have taken us
away.” (Isaiah
64:6)

“For
God so loved the
world, that he gave
his only begotten
Son, that whosoever
believeth in him
should not perish,
but have everlasting
life.” (John
3:16)

“For
by grace are ye
saved through faith;
and that not of
yourselves: it is
the gift of God:Not of works, lest
any man should
boast.”
(Ephesians 2:8-9)

Many today think
they’re “okay” with
God. They and God
have worked out a
special deal. They
want to “do it their
way,” but God says
it isn’t up for
debate. It’s His
way, period. There
is no other way.

Multiplied thousands
are following false
preachers and
teachers, because
they tell them just
what they want to
hear. By doing so,
they have become
calloused to the
Truth and think it’s
a joke. “Everybody
lives this way, so
it must be alright.”
Have you ever
checked it out to
see what God says
about it? You can
find His response in
His Book, the Bible.

Anyone with leprosy
of the body would
naturally want to be
cured. We examine
our body, and we’re
okay, but have we
examined our soul
lately?

“Examine
yourselves, whether
ye be in the faith;
prove your own
selves. Know ye not
your own selves, how
that Jesus Christ is
in you, except ye be
reprobates?” (2
Corinthians 13:5)